


Love is Blind

by LeChatNoir1918



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: F/M, Flash Fic Challenge, Mac is a little shit, Modern AU, blind date au, but also really helpful, this is so stressful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:42:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27433735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeChatNoir1918/pseuds/LeChatNoir1918
Summary: For the flash fic challenge!Blind Date AU (turned Modern AU) + gradual, stunning, and squeeze.
Relationships: Phryne Fisher & Jack Robinson, Phryne Fisher/Jack Robinson
Comments: 21
Kudos: 73
Collections: Miss Fisher's Flashfic Challenge Flash Free





	Love is Blind

**Author's Note:**

> For the first round of the flashfic challenge! I didn't quite finish on time (damn it!), but I was almost there. Also I most definitely do not have time to be flashficcing at all but whatever.
> 
> Excuse any and all mistakes, editing had to be largely skipped 😅
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“And I’ll have to ask you not to use your phone at any time,” the waitress finished up her introduction. “The light from the screen defeats the purpose of dining in the dark.” 

“Of course,” Phryne nodded. She had immediately been intrigued when Mac had suggested dining at a “dark” restaurant; she had heard a lot of about them but had never been to one herself. She had ordered up front and Mac already seemed to be inside, the waitress having told her that her "friend" was already waiting for her. She handed her coat and purse to the waitress and then followed her down an increasingly dark corridor that led to the pitch-black dining room.

It was an odd feeling to have her sense of sight completely eliminated, Phryne thought as she was guided through the dark dining room of the restaurant; faint murmurs coming from the respective tables along with the clinking of silverware and glasses. The food, however, smelled delicious, and Phryne was glad she had only had breakfast today so she could fully indulge now. They soon reached her table and Phryne was glad it was dark, as her fumble for her chair was rather ungraceful.

“Made it,” she breathed and then addressed her friend. “You know you could have waited outside for me.”

The voice that answered was most definitely not Mac, in fact it was most definitely not even female, but instead a low male rumble and Phryne stiffened in her seat. It was an attractive voice, Phryne noted, even before she realized that she must be at the wrong table. 

“I'm sorry?” The man tentatively asked. 

“Oh! Sorry, I’m supposed to be meeting my friend, they must have led me to the wrong table,” Phryne quickly apologized, wondering how she could get the attention of the waitress, whose voice mercifully sounded from right next to her, apparently never having left the table in the first place. Damn the dark; even the eyes of a fox were useless in this utter darkness.

“You’re here for a reservation for MacMillan, correct?” The waitress asked and both Phryne and the man made a noise of confirmation. Phryne’s head snapped in the direction of where the man’s voice was coming from. 

“You know Mac?” 

“Uh, yes, we work together sometimes.”

“That sneaky little….” Phryne bit her tongue. Her friend would be hearing her opinion about this little set-up later. 

"I didn't know about this either," the man supplied. At least they were both in the dark about this.

The waitress cleared her throat a little awkwardly. “Would you like to order something to drink to get started?” 

“Uh, I…” Phryne was unsure of whether or not she even wanted to stay, given that she was dining with a stranger she couldn’t even see. 

“I was looking forward to the food, I’ll admit,” the man now said. “We could send the bill to Mac after.” 

Phryne smiled at that, deciding that on first impression the stranger seemed nice enough. “Now there’s an idea I'm on board with,” she agreed with a grin. “I’ll have a glass of wine in that case. Merlot, please.”

The stranger ordered a beer and then the waitress disappeared again.

“So this is…” 

“Awkward?” The stranger supplied and Phryne chuckled. “A bit. Though I have heard the food is very good.” 

“Hey, that’s all it takes to lure me into a dark restaurant, apparently.” The stranger commented, and Phryne found herself smiling. 

“So you work with Mac,….?” 

“Jack.” the stranger filled in her question. “Yes, I do, work with her, that is. I’d shake your hand but I’m not sure we’d manage without knocking something over. I’m not even sure how big this table is.” 

“Nice to meet you, Jack. Phryne.” Phryne replied and Jack made a noise of acknowledgement before they fell silent again. 

“Maybe we could risk that handshake,” Phryne eventually suggested, feeling the need to break the ice somehow. 

“Living on the edge?” 

“Well if we’re going to attempt it, we better do it before our drinks arrive.” 

“Fair enough.” 

Phryne carefully inched her hand over the table to see if anything was in their way before extending her arm fully until her fingers connected with solid flesh covered by fabric.

“Uh, a little high up,” Jack commented, grasping her fingers with his other hand and guiding her back down his arm until their hands met, his fingers wrapping around hers in a warm embrace.

Phryne couldn’t help but notice the softness as well as size of Jack’s hands, her sense of touch already heightened with her sight eliminated. Her annoyance at Mac’s scheme faded slightly as she began to see the possibilities for the evening. Though if Jack was the sort of man for a fun tryst remained to be seen, she supposed. And maybe he wasn’t her type, physically, anyway. Or he turned out to be an utter idiot, though she was sincerely hoping that wasn't the case.

“Worth the risk?” She asked as their hands parted again and Jack hummed an affirmative.

“I’d say so.” 

***

Conversation flowed surprisingly easily, and Phryne found herself leaning forward as Jack spoke, his voice as well as his sense of… calm, pulling her in. She warmed up to him fast and thought he felt the same way, their conversation gradually moving on to other topics than the usual small talk. He was smart, too, matching her witty remarks without hesitation and by the time their food arrived, she felt as if she’d known him for longer than the 30 minutes they had been sitting here. She liked him.

“What did you order, by the way?” Phryne asked, the smell of her own dish wafting up to her, making her stomach rumble in anticipation.

“Uh, the Parmesan Risotto.” Jack replied, already reaching for his fork. “You?”

“Lemon-Rosemary Roast Chicken. Would you like to try it?” She offered, figuring that since they were in the dark, none of the other patrons would mind this breach of dining etiquette. 

“Another risk?” Jack chuckled. “I’d say it’s a miracle we haven’t knocked over our glasses so far.”

“Our earlier risk paid off. Come on, Jack,” Phryne whispered conspiratorially. 

“I don’t even know where my own plate is,” Jack argued, though he wasn’t really resisting. He didn’t know the woman across from him but her energy and bright spirit was infectious even in the dark. And so he surprised himself by letting her guide his hand and fork over to her side of the table. She giggled as she tried to get food onto his utensil, holding his hand steady with her free one. The touch felt… good. Her hands were soft and delicate, and Jack found himself increasingly eager to find out what Phryne looked like. Her voice was highly attractive, to him at least, and he could see how Mac was such good friends with her. 

“Delicious,” he moaned softly when after a couple of tries he managed to get the chicken into his mouth. 

“Sounds like it,” Phryne smiled, somewhat relieved that he couldn’t see her face, which had briefly gone slack at his satisfied noise. The man really did like food and she found herself appreciating his appetite. 

“Would you like to try mine?” Jack offered, smiling when Phryne said yes, taking her hand in his like she had done with him. 

“Watch the wine glass,” he reminded her when he had filled her fork as best as he could. 

“I can’t.” Phryne grinned but was careful when she pulled her hand back. Even though she knew where the glass was, in theory, she had not gotten used to not being able to see anything, and her movements were much less smooth and planned out than they usually were. She was glad she got the fork to her mouth without dropping any food.

“Equally as delicious.” She commented when the risotto hit her palate, adding a little moan for Jack’s benefit. She didn’t know if he had picked up on it, but there was a short pause before he started eating his own dish that made her think he might have. 

Dessert was enjoyed just as much as their main courses had been, and Phryne was almost reluctant for their blind date, as it were, to come to an end. She liked Jack, more than she thought she would have given that he had been a stranger up until an hour ago, but this environment had been sheltered and she was almost apprehensive about finding out what he looked like. Not that she was completely superficial when it came to these things, but where romantic relationships were concerned she did have preferences when it came to looks. 

“Do you want anything else?” She asked when their conversation came to a natural pause and Jack declined. “I’ll admit I’m looking forward to being able to see again.” As fun as this experiment was, he found he didn’t like to be in the dark. Literally as well as figuratively. Besides, he couldn't wait to find out what this woman looked like.

It took a bit of fumbling to stand up, the waitress waiting patiently for them to orientate themselves before leading them back towards the exit. Phryne giggled quietly as she almost tripped, reaching out and holding onto Jack’s arm in front of her, softly squeezing his bicep to steady herself. 

And then they were out in the foyer, the lights dimmed so as not to overwhelm the eye, but there was light nonetheless and after some blinking, the first thing either of them did was look at the other, neither bothering to disguise their curiosity as to who they had been talking to this entire time. 

Phryne was pleasantly surprised, having tried to keep her expectations low. Very pleasantly surprised in fact. Jack was tall and lean, dressed casually yet he looked very well put together. His hair was softly falling over his forehead and his mouth was turned up in a wry smile as he took her in. She smiled widely as his eyes met hers again, apparently equally as delighted with her physical appearance as they sparkled at her. She could get lost in those eyes, she thought, surprised that the thought had crossed her mind.

“Shall we pay, then?” 

***

Jack couldn’t quite believe the woman currently on his arm as they walked along the foreshore, having mutually decided that their evening wasn’t quite over yet. She was without doubt one of the most attractive women he’d ever laid eyes on. She was stunning, in fact. Beyond beautiful, exuding a quiet elegance and poise in her gestures and expressions. He had already been enthralled by her during dinner, just from their conversation, but now with the added visual, he was trying to keep foolishly romantic notions such as love at first sight out of his head. 

He was relieved that he seemed to have presented himself alright as well, given that they were on this walk together, Phryne smiling and laughing up at him every once in a while, her eyes sparkling. Time seemed to stand still as they walked, barely noticing how far they'd gotten and the sunlight gradually fading as they talked, rather as if they were old friends.

Eventually they stopped, the beach almost deserted at this point, Phryne still holding tightly onto him. She looked out over the water and smirked at him before releasing his arm and skipping over to where the concrete of the walkway ended and the sand began, turning back to him with a grin on her face.

“Race you to the water?” 

Jack stared at her, wondering if this elegant woman in heels and her rather expensive looking trousers and blouse was really about to race him to the ocean. 

“What?” 

“Race you to the water, Inspector,” she repeated and dear lord it shouldn’t have felt that good to hear her use his professional title. To further confirm she was serious, she bent down to slip her heels off of her feet, holding them in her hand as she straightened again to look at him, the challenge in her eyes unmistakeable. 

“There’s no one around, Jack,” she pressed, sensing his restraint. And once again, Jack felt something inside of him being unlocked by this woman he had known for a mere few hours. When she sensed the change in his posture, readying himself for the challenge, she rewarded him with a laugh before turning on the spot, racing down towards the water; Jack sprinting after her with long strides. 

And when he caught up to her, at an advantage purely due to the length of his legs (she really was impressively fast for her height though), he decided to let himself go even further, wrapping an arm around Phyne’s waist, their joint momentum sending them tumbling into the sand in a tangle of limbs and shoes. She squealed and then laughed loudly, both of them spluttering to get the sand out of their mouths. "That's cheating Jack," she gasped into his neck, seemingly not bothered by their closeness.

"Sorry," Jack said sheepishly, but he grinned as they rolled apart, both of them staring at the evening sky, their chests heaving with the exertion. Phryne turned her head to look at him, the rather large amounts of sand in her now messy hair unreasonably adorable. "Don't apologise for having fun, Jack," she said seriously and turned onto her side, her head propped up on her arm. Jack didn't think he had actually ever had this much fun on a date before, blind or not. It was all so... easy, and carefree with her. Jack contemplated his next move and decided to mirror Phryne, bringing their bodies closer as their breathing calmed. 

"We never did make it to the water," he commented, looking back and forth between her eyes, tilting his head towards the ocean.

"Oh, it's probably too cold, anyway," Phryne shrugged and then shivered slightly. The wind was getting colder and she wasn't quite dressed for the dropping temperature. "I'm more in the mood for a hot shower now, actually." 

"I happen to have a shower." Jack said before he could stop himself, though Phryne didn't seem to mind. 

"Do you now?" She laughed and then sat up, much to Jack's disappointment. He sat up as well, ruffling his hair to get rid of the sand in it, though it was probably useless, the sand having gotten everywhere during their short tussle. He watched as Phryne stood up, just as uselessly trying to get the sand off of her before huffing once and holding out her hand to him, her eyes warm on his.

"I think we could both use that shower, Jack."

**Author's Note:**

> I went to a "dark"/ blind restaurant in Zurich once, called "Blind Cow", literally translated. All the waiters are blind, and it's supposed to immerse you in their world for a bit, as well as provide an extraordinary dining experience that makes you realize how lost one is without their sight when you're not used to it! Would do it again in a heartbeat, the food tasted extra good without being able to see and the atmosphere was really nice because people don't feel the need to talk as loudly when they can't see, apparently.
> 
> Not sure if this concept exists outside of Switzerland, though I'm sure at this point it must, as this was like 10 years ago.


End file.
